Airbus's history has been built on employee commitment, collective responsibility, and a culture of social dialogue that has always enabled it to overcome difficult times, meet industrial challenges, and build the Group's successes.
This history has never been built on barricades.
It has been built on social dialogue, respect, recognition, the commitment of everyone, and the pursuit of the right balance.
Even today, everyone can see the industrial challenges facing Airbus. They will require total collective commitment.
During the last meeting with Management (12 May), the FO, CFE-CGC, and CFTC Alliance resolutely voiced the expectations and concerns expressed by employees regarding profit-sharing. This intervention led to several important breakthroughs:
- the opening of negotiations on the evolution of the Euro/Dollar parity neutralization mechanism in the profit-sharing agreement,
- the opening of discussions on the evolution of the capping mechanism,
- and the acquisition of an expert opinion to transparently analyze the mechanisms that led to the current situation.
These advances represent a first step towards a system less affected by unforeseen events and more aligned with everyone's efforts.
However, despite our repeated requests, no positive response was received regarding the implementation of a compensation bonus.
Despite the fact that legal requirements have been met in calculating the 2025 profit-sharing plan, the FO, CFE-CGC, and CFTC unions find this lack of response unacceptable given the level of expectation, the commitment of employees, and the industrial challenges facing the company.
Employees cannot be victims of financial, monetary, or geopolitical factors entirely unrelated to their work and daily involvement.
They have kept their promises.
They have contributed to the Group's performance.
They have supported the company through difficult times.
They will continue to face the industrial challenges ahead.
Management must now listen to the employees' demands and send a strong signal of recognition.
The first negotiation meeting on the profit-sharing agreement will take place on Monday the 18th of May; this meeting is the last opportunity for Management to maintain social dialogue.
If, at the end of this meeting, all of these demands are not met, then the FO, CFECGC, and CFTC unions will establish a balance of power through strike action, even though this is contrary to their culture and that of Airbus.
Social dialogue remains the most effective tool for serving employees, but it is not the only one!
Management must now fully grasp the message sent by the employees.